Vemma, a beverage and nutritional supplement company, has received numerous complaints about recruiting young adults to sell its products. The company is set to give a marketing presentation on Saturday in Stamford.

An Arizona beverage maker that has been accused of operating a pyramid scheme is set to bring its marketing pitch to Stamford this week.

Vemma Nutrition Company, a privately owned firm that manufactures drinks and supplements touted as having nutritional and weight loss benefits, has scheduled a regional training event for its distributors on Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel on East Main Street. As many as 800 people are expected to show at the event, according to the company.

Although the 10-year-old company recently touted worldwide sales of $221 million in 2013, it has come under attack for pursuing a multi-level marketing strategy, which involves recruiting people to sell its products. Critics, who include consumer advocacy groups, say the business lures young people with promises of "financial freedom" and incentive bonuses like BMWs and Mercedes. On its website, the company says those who join the business as "affiliates" can make as much as $50,000. As part of its marketing approach, Vemma has gone into college campuses and has even enlisted high school students.

In the U.S. alone, the company says it has 105,000 affiliates and 220 employees. Its manufacturing plant is in Tempe, Ariz.

"I think that they are taking advantage of a very vulnerable population and it can have extreme effects on the rest of these kids' lives," said Bonnie Patten, the executive director of Truth in Advertising, a Connecticut-based consumer watchdog group that has scrutinized the company and its claims. "The fact is that Vemma has many of the attributes of a pyramid scheme."

In March, an Italian watchdog group ruled that Vemma was a pyramid scheme and prohibited the company from doing business in Italy. Vemma has since amended its marketing strategy. In the U.S., more than 100 complaints have been filed with the Federal Trade Commission over the past year.

BK Boreyko, the 52-year-old founder and CEO of Vemma, adamantly denied the accusations, saying he is simply employing a marketing approach that rewards direct sales and word-of-mouth promotion.

Boreyko who is set to speak at the training event in Stamford, said the company doles out $2 million a week in commissions and bonuses. "I made the decision to put that money into the hard working people who fall in love with this brand and want to promote it," he said.

Vemma has roughly 350 employees worldwide, according to Boreyko. He maintained that the bulk of orders come from customers, with only 30 percent of the orders coming from those trying to sell the products.

Boreyko said he and his lawyer Chris Reid said the company fully cooperated with the investigation in Italy and have had no other issues in other foreign territories. The company operates in 48 countries.

The CEO also disputed the assertion that Vemma specifically targets young people to become affiliates. He said those who elect to sell the brand come from all age groups, including baby boomers.